He is soft where I am hard, and free where I am kept; the wind flows through his hair while it simultaneously neglects mine. But here, like this, in his arms, it's as if we take on an aspect of each other; my head feels heavier and heavier upon his shoulder as the atmosphere bustles around us, and his laughter subsides into a silence I'd yet to hear until now.

I am lucky to have a family as well-suited to my demeanor as the Orion's. And certainly, I am lucky to have a wife as trusting as Solace - and a brother-in-law as respectful as Svedka. A soft and unexpected giggle erupts from my smiling lips at the fresh memory of our mouth-smack; gods, how I love them all. Gods, how they have saved my life and made it worth living.

Kag, he murmurs, and for the first time since our celestial ascension, my nutmeg eyes flutter open to receive the beauty of the stars. Without permission, tears suddenly fill my eyes; the grace and majesty of this unknown and infinitely large universe infiltrates the tall walls I have barricading the soft tissues of my heart, sending wave after wave of foreign emotion rolling over my petite figure. He's dreamt us this gift all on his own; I squeeze him closer, the glimmering drops of my tears wetting the soft down of his chest.

I don't want to wake up.

...And

...Just like that

...We awaken.

His equine body feels warm next to mine, but I pull away from it. Our eyes meet, and for once, it's as if there's no need for words - but knowing Svedka, he will surely have something to say.

Where I'd been resting against him, a wet splotch resides... And atop his shoulders, wings sit, already half-faded as I struggle to maintain their existence atop a body that's not my own.